No real surprises here, though some wondered if Clint Eastwood, Lone Scherfig, or the Coens might sneak in at Daniels's expense. This makes Daniels the first-ever African American to be nominated. The DGA Award is a pretty solid predictor of the eventual Oscar winner for Best Director; the Academy and DGA have only ever honored different directors six times. Bigelow is considered this year's favorite, though only one of the above nominees built a whole planet on his computer.